Fallout
by Luthien Luinwe
Summary: Firelord Ozai has been defeated, but the world is not at peace. Seemingly left with no monarch after the death of Prince Zuko and the imprisonment of Firelord Ozai and Princess Azula, the world's already fragile peace is left threatened. Major character death. Past Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

It had all happened so quickly. She had been watching the two firebenders fighting, and one thought, one crippling thought, plagued her mind. _He's going to lose._ Zuko had told her that something was off with Azula, and Katara had noticed it as well. Something had unhinged the girl, turned her from deadly to murderously insane. _He's going to lose._

She had never seen so much fire in her life, not even when the Fire Nation armies had raided her village and killed her mother. She could only imagine what Ozai and his forces were able to manage when two teenagers were bending enough fire to burn down a village.

It was beautiful. But it was still deadly, and if she didn't intervene, Azula would kill him. She was running to the courtyard before she could realize what she was doing. "No lightning today?" Zuko taunted his sister. _You idiot,_ Katara thought, knowing nothing good would come out of insulting Azula, even if she had been in the right frame of mind. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?"

Katara watched as Azula's lips curled into a deadly smirk. "Oh I'll show you lightning."

Time seemed to stand still. Katara watched as the madwoman began to conjure the deadly force, watched as she started to aim at Zuko, only to see Azula's gaze change last minute, change to focus on her.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She stood no chance against lightning, even as a master waterbender.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She heard a scream, a desperate one; one she knew had not come from herself. She watched in horror as Zuko jumped in front of her, as the lightning struck him square in the chest. She watched in horror as he collapsed to the ground, twitching and writhing in agony.

A rage she had never known before consumed her. Without thinking, she manipulated the water beneath the grates surrounding the courtyard, manipulating and freezing it around Azula and herself. Using her abilities, she chained the princess down and melted the ice, watching as the firebender screamed and wailed, the sounds inhuman.

No. She couldn't allow herself to focus on Azula, not when Zuko was barely alive, if not dead already. She ran over to her former enemy, the enemy who had become a friend, who she had loved and who had loved her in return… She had used the last of her spirit water on Aang, but she still had to try to heal Zuko.

Tears burned her eyes as she turned the prince onto his back and tried to heal him. He glanced at her, eyes dazed and confused. "It's all right," she said, her voice shaking. "You're going to be alright."

He shook his head, the pain of the motion showing in his golden eyes. "I'm not," he said in a weak voice and managed to place a hand over Katara's, causing the water she had been attempting to heal him with fall into a puddle on the fallen prince.

"You have to be," she shook her head. "Aang is going to defeat the Fire Lord. You and he are going to rebuild the world…"

"Katara," he spoke, and she watched as his eyes started to droop closed. "I'm sorry."

"No," she begged. "Please don't do this. Zuko, please…"

But it was too late.

The rightful Firelord was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

 _Prince Zuko had been wrong to embarrass his father in front of the war council, but Firelord Ozai had been more wrong to challenge the prince, a_ child _to an agnai-kai, one the boy stood no chance of winning. Zuko had never been a strong bender. Everyone knew it._

 _Iroh had never been fond of his brother. When his son, Lu-Ten, had died, Ozai had seemed delighted rather than upset. And when he heard their father had changed his mind, that Ozai would succeed him in the throne, Iroh had not been surprised._

 _But this had been a new low._

 _The boy had been badly burned, and to add insult to injury, Ozai had banished his son, the heir to his throne. "How dare you?" Iroh demanded when he had finally managed to see his brother face-to-face, though in that moment, he could barely stand to look at his younger brother._

" _How dare I what?" Ozai questioned, his perpetual smirk on his face._

" _The world has given you a wonderful, intelligent, good-hearted son, and you disgrace him. For what? For speaking out of turn? You knew he stood no chance in a duel against you. You know he stands no chance on his own on this fool's mission. How dare you take this gift and throw it away?" He was furious, more furious than he had ever been in his life, more furious than even when Ozai had used Iroh's son's death as a political playing chip._

" _Then by all means," Ozai waved a dismissive hand. "Go with him."_

" _I will," Iroh spoke through gritted teeth, not even taking a moment to consider it. "And I will be more of an example to him than you ever have been or ever could be."_

They had taken Ba Sing Se. It had been a difficult, dangerous undertaking, but Iroh and the Order of the White Lotus had done it, had defeated the last Fire Nation soldier in the same spot where Lu Ten had fallen. Their part was done, and all that was left to do was wait, to wait and hope that the others had also found their success.

"Cheer up, Iroh," Jeong Jeong patted him on the back. "It's over. We've won."

"Not yet, we haven't," he replied and looked across the city he had liberated, the city he had once tried to conquer.

The news that the Avatar had defeated Ozai came to them in the early hours of the morning, before the sun had even begun to rise. "Come," Iroh said to the others. "Let us congratulate them."

He wanted to see Aang, to congratulate the boy who had taken on far more responsibility than he ever should have, but he needed to see his nephew first, needed to hold him, to make sure he was all right, to assure the boy that he would never find himself in such a dangerous situation ever again.

They reached the others in record time. Iroh quickly surveyed the others. Aang was leaned against his sky bison, looking beaten up and worse for wear, but still far better than Iroh had anticipated. The warrior from the Southern Water Tribe and the woman warrior from Kyoshi Island were in each other's arms, something that brought a smile to the old man's face. He sincerely hoped they would grow old together and find peace in the mad, mad world.

He kept scanning, looking for his nephew, when his eyes fell upon the girl he had sent along with him. She was alone, away from the others, crying softly, though Iroh could tell she wanted to show more emotion. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he approached her.

She turned to face him, and unsure of what else to do, Iroh pulled her into a tight hug, sighing deeply when her soft crying quickly turned to weeping. "I'm so sorry," she apologized through sobs. "I tried to… I tried…"

"Child," Iroh stepped back and faced her, a frown etched onto his face. "What are you talking about?"

He watched as she shut her eyes tightly, watched as another sob seized her body. "Zuko… She was trying to get me, but he…" Iroh's frown deepend, his heart sinking even further. "I couldn't save him."

Iroh stumbled back, barely able to keep himself upright. _No,_ he thought. _No, he isn't gone. He is hiding somewhere. He is playing a bad joke…_ But he knew the girl's words were true, he could see it in her eyes. _No. I cannot lose another son…_

"Katara?" Iroh turned when he heard the Avatar's voice from behind them, watched as the girl tried, and failed, to regain her composure. "Is it true?"

The girl shut her eyes tightly and nodded, and Iroh excused himself from them.

He collapsed to the ground once away from the others, where no one could see him, and he wept. His nephew, whom he had come to love as a son, whom he had raised in the later years of his life, whom he had always comforted when Ursa had disappeared and Ozai became increasingly impatient, was gone.

His brother was imprisoned. His niece was imprisoned. His son was dead. And now Zuko was dead as well. He was the last of the royal line, and one thought kept plaguing his mind. _It should have been me._

He never should have sent Zuko to fight Azula. His nephew had never stood a chance against his prodigy of a sister, even with the training Iroh had provided. No, he should have gone instead… He shook his head, trying to clear it. Living in the past and in should-haves was not going to bring him back.

Nothing was going to bring him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

It seemed an eternity before Iroh was able to gather himself and rejoin the others. What should have been a victory celebration among the young group was instead filled with sorrow and confusion, and he could not blame them for it. The plan had been to win, for all of them to win, and for all of them to return safely and live happily-ever-after. He remembered a time when he had been so naive, when he had planned to take the city of Ba Sing Se in the name of the Fire Nation without losing a single soldier. And he had failed miserably.

Katara turned to face him, only to quickly turn away again. "Do not be afraid," Iroh said and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You were not the one responsible for this."

"I should have..." the girl started to speak, but Iroh held a hand up to silence her and shook his head firmly.

"You did everything you could have," his voice shook as he spoke. "Sometimes, no matter how much we may wish it, our best is not good enough. That is not your fault." He was silent for a long moment, unsure if he could ask what was on his mind, if he even wanted to know the answer. He took a long, deep breath. "Where is he?"

The girl shut her eyes again, another sob raking her body. "Still there. In the courtyard. I wanted to bring him, but I..." she trailed off, and Iroh watched as her tears flowed once more. Unsure of what else to do, he hugged the young waterbender closely, trying to maintain his composure while among the others. "You should," she began once she had calmed a bit. "You should go to him."

Iroh nodded and stepped back. "Be with your friends," he said in a gentle voice. "They will help you more than you think."

* * *

He struggled to bring himself to the courtyard, knowing what would be there to meet him. Still, Iroh had to see his nephew, had to see the truth with his own eyes. It had been the same when his son had died. He hadn't believed the young captain who had brought the news to him, had threatened to see him discharged from the army and exiled from the Fire Nation for such a cruel joke. But it had not been a joke then, and it was not a joke now either.

Fresh tears stung his eyes when he saw Zuko, once tall and proud, lying in a crumpled heap on the cold, stone ground. Already his skin had grown pale, his body rigid. A sob caught in Iroh's throat as he knelt beside the body, as he hugged what remained of his nephew tightly, never wanting to let go.

"You deserved better than this, Prince Zuko," he spoke softly, his voice breaking. Iroh's own throne had been taken from him, but his heart had been filled with joy at the idea of seeing his nephew rule the nation, having no doubt that Zuko would have been the first peaceful Firelord for over a century... But now that would never happen.

Iroh glanced up to see Katara standing a respectful distance away. "I'm sorry," she apologized and stared at the floor. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."

"It is all right, child," Iroh replied and gestured for her to join him, watching as the girl hesitantly approach. "He always talked about you," he commented as he lay Zuko's body back on the ground, folding the boy's hands over his chest. "Even when he was focused on hunting the Avatar." The girl nodded and looked down at the body, pushing Zuko's hair from his face.

"What do we do now?" she asked softly, and it pained Iroh to see the young woman who had gained so much confidence over the course of a year appear so fragile, so broken.

Iroh took her hands in his own.

"We keep living," he spoke. "It is all we can do."

* * *

The funeral was held early the next morning. Iroh dressed in his finest robes and tried to keep his memory on the present, not on the past, not on his son's funeral decades prior. No, he needed to focus on his nephew. Zuko had deserved that much, at least.

Iroh had witnessed two royal funerals before that day, and as he approached the grounds, he could not help but think that three was entirely too many, especially when two of the three had been younger than himself. Especially when two of the three had been, at some point in time, destined to rule. Especially when two of the three had died in the middle of his grandfather's maddening, pointless war.

The funeral pyre was stacked tall, one of the most magnificent, most somber, structures Iroh had ever seen. He had told the builders to spare no expense, and to work harder than they had in their lives, and it was clear that they had. He tried to tell himself it was only a stack of sticks and twigs, but he knew they would not remain that way for long.

Iroh turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Aang the Avatar was at his side, looking far older than the twelve-year-old he was supposed to be. "I'm so sorry," the airbender spoke. "I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"I know," Iroh nodded and turned back to view the pyre. He had insisted that only Zuko's close friends and those who had helped the Avatar be in attendance. He did not think he could handle the nation's nobility claiming that Zuko would have been such a fine leader, not when he knew that they had all supported Azula, had all talked poorly of the exiled Prince. Though he did find it odd that Mai was nowhere to be found.

He shut his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and re-opened them, watching as Zuko, clad in the robes of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was carried to his final resting place. Iroh had wanted him to be dressed in the Fire Lord's robes, but the newly re-instated Fire Sages had protested. After all, the prince had never been crowned.

The General and the Avatar approached the pyre. Iroh took a long glance at his nephew's body before turning and nodding solemnly at Aang. Both took deep breaths before sending streams of fire to the pyre. Iroh watched for a moment before turning away. "He is with the spirits now," he said, mostly to himself, before joining the others.

He stayed long after the others had gone, until the last of the smoke had died out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three  
**

 _Katara watched the world, so far below where she and Zuko were flying on Appa, thinking of everything that had transpired the past several hours. She had finally confronted the man who had killed her mother… And she had let him go._

 _Sighing, she leaned back against the saddle and watched Zuko, grateful that he had come with her, even though she had hated him so passionately just a few days prior. "Something wrong?" he asked and turned to face her._

" _No," she replied quickly. "I mean yes. I mean, I don't know. I just… Did I do the right thing?"_

" _I don't think I can answer that for you," he replied. "I think that's something only you can know."_

 _She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, once again turning to look at the sky surrounding them. An eternity seemed to have past before they landed. Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist and helped her down from Appa's back. She hesitated before stepping back. She had felt safe in his arms, like nothing could harm her, like he wouldn't let anything harm her._

 _She watched as his arms fell to his sides, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He tensed for a moment, but relaxed. "Thank you," she said again, her voice soft._

" _Don't mention it," he shrugged, despite her grip on him._

 _She looked into his eyes, finally seeing him as a person and not as the monster she had previously believed him to be. He had changed since they had first met. She knew that, for if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been helping them to defeat the Fire Lord. But knowing and understanding had been two completely different things._

" _What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow._

" _Nothing," she replied, and in a moment of bravery, kissed him, smiling when, after the initial shock, he kissed her back. A warmness flowed through her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, and moaned when he placed a firm hand on the small of her back._

 _Disappointment flooded through her when he stated to step back. "Katara," he started to say, but she kissed him again before he could continue._

 _He gently moved her to the ground, and she pulled him on top of her, wanting nothing but him, to feel him, to breathe him in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and moaned when his hands found her hips, when his lips moved to her neck._

" _I want you," she breathed and felt his smile against her skin._

 _It had been painful._

 _It had been wonderful._

 _And she wouldn't have traded it for anything._

* * *

Katara couldn't help but blame herself. If she had just been a better healer, if she had defeated Azula faster, if she had been helping him instead of standing aside and watching… No, she could not allow herself to think like that. No amount of thinking or willing was going to bring Zuko back, no matter how much she wished that it would.

She should have been happy. Aang defeated Ozai. The world was safe from the Fire Nation for the first time in over a century. Yet all she felt was anger, anger at Azula for taking Zuko from her, anger at herself for not being able to save him, even angry at Iroh and Aang for not sending someone else to fight the girl. She had finally come to trust Zuko, to love him. And he had been taken from her.

"Katara?" she heard a voice ask, but did not quite register it. She had left the others at the funeral site and gone off to a wooded area nearby, trying to find some tranquility on her own. "Hello? Katara?" she blinked and turned quickly, ready to snap at the intruder, to send them away so she could be alone with her grief, but sighed when she saw Aang standing before her.

"What do you want, Aang?" she asked, crossing her arms, putting her guard up. No one could know about her and Zuko, especially not Aang. Not when she knew he loved her. Not when the truth would break his heart.

"You left in a hurry," the airbender put a hand behind his head. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," she snapped, her tone harsher than she had intended it to be. She watched as he flinched and took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay," he replied and moved closer to her. "You couldn't have done anything," he added, reaching up to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She thought about shrugging it off, but knew that he had meant well.

She studied her friend closely, finally realizing how much he had grown up in the past year. All of them had been forced to grow up throughout the past year. "You couldn't have done anything either," she said after a long moment.

"I could have fought Azula myself," he argued. "I could have insisted that Zuko's uncle do it…"

"It wouldn't have worked," she shook her head. "You had to focus your energy on fighting the Fire Lord. And Iroh wouldn't have fought her. It was meant to be him." She couldn't bring herself to say his name, not when everything was still so fresh in her mind, not when not an hour previously she had watched his body begin to turn to ash.

Aang nodded and stared at the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Katara pulled him into a hug. "It's going to be okay," she said, more for her sake than for his. "It's all going to be okay."

* * *

She spent the night in a tent with Gran Gran, and Master Pakku. The two elders had fallen asleep in each other's arms, no doubt content that the war had been won. Sokka had decided to stay with Suki, something their grandmother had been strongly against. "They're young," Pakku had responded. "They're in love. They just won a war. Let them spend their time together."

Sokka had placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm just a few feet away if you need me, okay?" he had asked softly, and, not for the first time, she felt incredibly grateful to have her older brother.

It was near dawn when she finally slept, and she had collapsed more from exhaustion than from any desire to venture to the land where she would no doubt relieve her memories of _him_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Life was supposed to get easier after Aang had defeated Firelord Ozai. There would be no more war, no more severe conflicts, no more people trying to kill him and his friends…

He had never been more wrong in his life.

Winning the war against the Fire Nation had just been the beginning. Now he was left with a half-destroyed Earth Kingdom, a Northern Water tribe that was still rebuilding from the Siege of the North, and the Fire Nation was left without a leader. As Avatar, it was his duty to maintain the peace, to ensure tranquility in the world. And he had no clue where to even begin.

The Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe would have to wait. One thing was certain: he could not leave a nation leaderless, even if their royal line had died out, been imprisoned, or institutionalized. He had approached Iroh before, but he had insisted the throne belonged to Zuko.

Aang shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He could not let his personal feelings get in the way of what needed to be done. There would be plenty of time to miss his enemy-turned-firebending-master-turned-friend once some resemblance of peace was established.

He walked the halls of the palace toward the room Iroh was occupying and knocked on the door. The group had only seen traces of the man since the funeral, though Aang could not fault him for that. He had been Zuko's companion since the prince had been banished from the Fire Nation, and they had known each other for all of Zuko's life. Aang had only known his friends for a year, and already he could not imagine the pain that losing them would have been sure to bring.

"Who is it?" Iroh asked from behind the door, his voice older, more weary than Aang had remembered it. The man had been so strong when Aang had asked him to fight Ozai in his place, so sure of himself when he had declined.

"Uh, it's me," Aang replied. "Aang. The Avatar?" He waited a moment in silence before the door slid open. Iroh stood before him, looking much older than he was, and as though he had not slept in days. "Sorry to disturb you."

"No, it's quite all right," Iroh forced a smile. "Please, come in," he stepped to the side, and Aang respectfully entered. "Would you care for some tea?"

"I'm okay," Aang replied. "Actually, I needed to ask you something…" he trailed off when he saw Iroh's face fall even further.

"I will not do it," the general shook his head. "I have already told you that."

"I know," Aang replied. "But now things are different. There's no one else."

"There is always someone else," Iroh responded. "I have no doubt some long lost relative with a weak claim will step forward in the next few weeks."

"Do you really want some stranger running your country?" Aang raised an eyebrow and studied Iroh's face, studied the defeat lurking beneath the man's eyes. He sighed and set his staff down on a table. "I know you miss him. I miss him too. But he wouldn't want everything to fall apart."

Iroh shook his head again. "Politics are a young man's game," he responded, his tone cold and even. "I want nothing to do with them anymore."

"Will you at least rule until we can find someone?" Aang asked.

"I will consider it," Iroh responded, waving his hand dismissively. Aang nodded, gathered his things and left the room to find his friends.

He had not gotten a chance to breathe since their victory, hadn't gotten a chance to congratulate his friends, to even see them, and it hurt. He needed them, maybe more than he had ever needed them, and life just kept getting in the way.

He smiled slightly when he saw Katara and Sokka sitting in a circle with their father, eating and laughing together, glad that at least some could be happy in the mess he had helped create. "Aang," Sokka waved him over. "Come sit with us."

"Thanks, Sokka," he replied and sat next to his friend, hoping he could pretend everything had gone back to normal, though he wondered if there had ever really been a 'normal' between them. "Hey, Katara," he nodded toward his oldest friend.

"Hi, Aang," she replied and focused back on her breakfast. Aang glanced at Sokka, who shrugged in response. Aang nodded and poured himself a cup of tea, for once unsure of what to say. He wished he had the magic words to make everything better, to make Katara happy again, but there were some things even the Avatar couldn't fix.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Hakoda spoke, cutting through the silence that had drowned the group. "Lightning through the heart," he shook his head. "It doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go."

"No," Aang agreed. "It doesn't." He frowned when Katara pushed her plate away and left the group without so much of a goodbye.

"Sorry about her," Hakoda apologized. "She told me she was there with him. When it happened. It's really taken a toll on her."

"I hate seeing her like this," Sokka shook his head. "It's like she's completely forgotten who she is."

"She'll come around," Aang replied and finished his tea. He hoped she would come around, at least, though he doubted he or his friends would ever be the same after everything they had gone through.

"Well," Sokka set his plate down. "I should check in on Suki." He stood, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Aang nodded and watched as his friend left, leaving him and Hakoda alone.

"Can I ask you something?" Aang looked into the man's eyes.

"Of course," Hakoda replied.

"How do I do it? How do I rebuild everything? You helped your tribe do it. What do I do?" he hated himself for being unable to hide the desperation in his tone.

"Unfortunately there's no manual on these kinds of things," Hakoda responded as he started to clean up the area. "And you're not going to find a solution that makes everyone happy. You're going to make mistakes, and you and the rest of the world will have to live with them."

"Great, thanks," Aang sighed and left. He walked, wanting to get as far away from the crowd as he could, wanting to listen to himself and what he wanted for a change, wanting to clear his head. But it wasn't about himself and what he wanted anymore. Every choice he made would have to be for the good of the world.

Compared to that, fighting Ozai had been easy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

The Avatar had been right, as much as Iroh had hated to admit it. He was the only remaining member of the Royal Family eligible to rule; though it was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. He pulled his hair into its usual topknot and started down the halls of the palace, unable to help but notice how eerie and empty everything seemed.

He let his feet carry him to the palace gardens, and he sat before the koi pond, glancing into the water. He had taught his son to meditate in that spot, had comforted Zuko after Ursa's disappearance in that spot.

" _Why, Uncle?"_ he thought he heard a voice say from behind him, though Iroh knew he would never hear that voice again. _"Why did you let her kill me?"_

The General shook his head, trying to clear it. The same thing had happened after Lu Ten had been killed. He had thought he saw and heard the boy everywhere, and now it was happening again.

" _Why, father?"_ he could still seem to hear, even after all the years that had passed. _"Why did you allow me to join your siege? You knew it was dangerous. You knew this could happen. Why didn't you stop me?"_

"You wouldn't have listened," he shut his eyes, speaking to the invisible voice.

He swallowed hard and stood, not wanting to be in that place any longer, but unsure of where else he would go.

He had a duty to his country. He knew that. He owed it to Zuko to end the war Sozin had started, to bring peace to the land, but he was so _tired._ "Are you happy?" he questioned the portrait of Sozin he was forced to pass on his way to meet with the Avatar once more. "Is this what you wanted? Your great-grandsons are both dead. And for what?" he shook his head and continued onward. Anger at his ancestors was not going to bring them back.

Iroh sighed when he saw the young waterbender his nephew had been so fond of admiring a family portrait, one that had been painted just before Ursa's disappearance. "You should be with your family." She jumped and turned to face him. She started to apologize, but Iroh held a hand up to silence her. "You have every right to be here," he said.

"I just needed to get away from the others," she said and focused back on the painting.

"I understand," Iroh replied. "Sometimes we need to be alone in order to process the terrible things that have happened to us." He stepped beside her, studying the image as well. Ursa and Ozai were at each other's side, Ursa's hand on Zuko's shoulder, Ozai's hand on Azula's. Things had seemed so much easier then. Iroh had been first in line for the throne, but he still would have made sure his brother's family would have everything they could ever want.

Now only two of them remained, and Iroh hated them more than he ever could have imagined hating anyone in his life. "He was so young," the girl commented.

 _He was always young,_ Iroh thought, but kept silent. Zuko's banishment had forced the boy to grow up faster than he should have. _A shame,_ he shook his head. _He was such a sweet child._ "Thank you," he said after a moment, turning to face the waterbender, who frowned in confusion. "For being with him. I am sure it brought a great deal of comfort to him to have a friend at his side when he… When he.." His voice broke, and he shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to cry in front of the girl.

"He was at peace," she spoke after a long moment of silence. "He knew what was happening, and he wasn't afraid, or…"

Iroh held up a hand once more. "I do not need to know the details," he said. He studied the girl's face for a moment, studied her pain, her grief, her anger. "I should be on my way." He watched her nod in acknowledgment before he continued to the campsite that was still set up outside of the palace walls. Iroh had offered to let the Avatar and his friends stay inside, after all, there was room, but he had declined, saying he would need to leave in the near future and that getting comfortable would just make that more difficult.

He stared at the harbor near the palace, the harbor he had left along with Zuko, thinking he would never step foot on Fire Nation soil again.

 _He had taken the cabin across from Zuko's, sure to give his nephew the largest. It was his right as Crown Prince, even if he had been banished, humiliated, and scarred by Ozai. It was their first night at sea, and he was awakened by a strangled, inhuman sound that had come from across the hall._

 _Iroh knocked on the door, and without waiting for a reply, entered the room. Zuko had shot awake in his sleep, had broken out into a cold sweat, and though Iroh was certain the boy was trying to hide it, he had been crying. "Are you all right, Prince Zuko?"_

 _Zuko shook his head. "Why, Uncle?" he asked, his voice fragile, showing just how young, how damaged, the boy was. "He was supposed to love me."_

Iroh sighed deeply before continuing on to the camp. He could at least take comfort in knowing that Zuko had made peace with himself, had come to see Ozai for the monster he truly was, and that there had been nothing the boy could do to change that. At least he had died knowing the truth.

He approached the Avatar, who stood to greet him, and bowed as a sign of respect. "Avatar Aang," he spoke, his voice calm and even.

"General Iroh," Aang returned the bow. "What brings you here?"

"I have considered your offer," Iroh replied. "I will not be Firelord."

"What?" the General watched the boy's face fall.

"I will not be Firelord," Iroh repeated. "But I would be honored to run the nation until we can find a suitable candidate."

He walked away before the boy could respond, not wanting to sit through what he was certain would be another attempt to get Iroh to change his mind. No, his mind was made up, and nothing was going to change that.

He lie awake in his bed that night, willing the comfort of sleep to come to him.

As he closed his eyes and started to drift, the voice came back to haunt him. _"Why, Uncle?"_ it asked. _"Why me and not you?"_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

" _What, no lightning today?"_ the voice rang clearly in her head. She turned to her side in her sleep, trying to drown it out. She would _not_ think of that terrible night. She couldn't think of it ever again.

" _Zuzu, you don't look so good,"_ she heard a cruel female voice laugh, and she turned back to her other side, more willing to hear a dying man's last words than the words of the deranged woman who had killed him.

Katara shot awake in the middle of the night feeling sick to her stomach. She kept reliving it over and over in her head: Zuko taunting Azula, Azula aiming lightning at her, and Zuko jumping in front of her… "Idiot," she muttered to herself, shaking her head, exiting the tent to get some air, hoping it would calm her nerves and soothe her stomach.

She rolled her eyes when she heard her brother laughing with Suki from a nearby tent. She wanted to hate them, to hate them for being alive and together and happy and in love while she was left alone, heartbroken, miserable. But she couldn't do that. They both deserved to be happy, and she was glad they were able to find peace and solace in one another.

She sighed when she saw Aang sitting off by a nearby stream and approached him. "You should get some sleep," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I haven't seen you sleep since you fought Ozai."

"There's no time to sleep," Aang replied and drew random images in the sand with his staff. "Besides, you're one to talk."

"It's just hard," she admitted and sat beside her friend. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him."

Aang nodded and stared back into the sand. Katara sighed and stared at the water, admiring how it could still go on moving as if nothing had ever happened in the world, as though her world hadn't been completely shattered.

"Are you okay?" Aang turned to face her. She sighed and nodded, knowing that she would not be able to keep her composure if she were to speak. "I don't know what I'm going to do," he shook his head and threw his staff down. "How am I supposed to find a new Firelord?"

"Iroh didn't agree to do it?" Katara frowned.

Aang shook his head. "Only to run the country until we find someone. Why couldn't they have had a bigger extended family?" Katara tried to follow the rant that had started after that comment, but the discomfort in her stomach was getting worse. "Katara?" she blinked when she thought she heard her name. "Katara?" she shook her head when she saw Aang's hand waving in front of her face. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Katara admitted.

And she was.

* * *

"Well?" Katara asked. Pakku had volunteered to see her, to see if he could figure out what had caused her sudden illness. "Am I sick?"

He hesitated to answer. "Not quite."

Katara frowned. "What do you mean, 'not quite?' I'm either sick or I'm not. Which is it."

"I… I think that's something your Gran Gran should answer," Pakku replied before leaving her alone.

Katara sighed in frustration and lay back on the ground. She had traveled the world, had helped the Avatar to save the world, and she was still being treated like a child. That had been part of what had drawn her to Zuko. He had never treated her as a child, not even when they had been enemies.

It seemed an eternity before her Gran Gran stepped into the tent. "Come here, my little waterbender," the old woman sighed and sat, wrapping an arm around Katara. Katara leaned into her touch, wanting to stay safe in her arms forever.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"You aren't sick," Gran Gran replied. "You're with child."

Katara blinked, searching her grandmother's eyes for any sign the woman was joking, and finding none. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be. She was still so young. She was unmarried. And she had only been with one person… "No," she shook her head. "No, you're lying to me."

"I wish I were," the old woman rubbed Katara's arm, her grip on her granddaughter firm, as though she were afraid to ever let her go from her sight again. "But you are. And there's nothing to do now but carry them and have them and raise them and love them. Of course, you'll have to let the father know…"

"I can't do that," Katara spoke, her voice cracking.

"Why not?" Gran Gran frowned, her sorrowful face turning to one of anger. "Did someone take advantage of you? I knew I should not have allowed you and your brother to travel the world alone…"

"No, Gran Gran," Katara shook her head. "Nothing like that happened."

"Then why must you keep it a secret from the father?" Kana took her granddaughters hands in her own, squeezing them tightly.

Despite her best efforts, Katara could not keep her tears from falling. "Because his sister killed him." The words had come between broken sobs, and she hated herself for it, hated herself for not being able to keep control, for crying like the child she was so determined not to be seen as.

"Oh, my dear," Gran Gran shook her head, and Katara hated the pity she saw in her grandmother's eyes. Before she could utter another sound, though, she had been pulled into a tight hug. "I am so, so sorry, my love."

For the first time since Zuko's death, Katara wept, letting all of her emotions out, her anger, her sorrow, her emptiness, her confusion. "Sokka and Dad are going to kill me," she said between sobs.

"I'll talk some sense into them," Gran Gran replied. "You're going to need all of the support you can get from here on out."

 _Zuko, you idiot,_ she screamed inside her head. _How could you leave me like this? How could you?!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

It was something Iroh had dreaded doing, but something that needed to be done. He counted the torches on the walls as he stepped through the dark, dimly lit corridors, willing to do anything to keep his composure.

His robes trailed behind him. The Fire Sages had insisted he wear the traditional Firelord robes, but he had declined, reminding them that he had purposefully not taken the title. He counted the cells as he passed them, glanced into the faces of those imprisoned for one crime or another, everything from petty theft to war crimes.

He stopped when he reached his destination, and turned to face the man in the cell. His brother, once so proud and regal, sat with his back to the wall, facing the door, still not looking as though he had been defeated. "Brother," the man said, a smirk on his face. "And here I thought you had forgotten me."

"Your son is dead," Iroh said, but did not pause, not wanting to give Ozai a chance to say anything, to react. "Your son, who you hated and scarred and banished, is dead. Your son, who spent years on a crusade you thought to be futile only because he wanted to please you, to regain the love he mistakenly thought he ever received from you back. Your son is dead, and he died knowing that you never cared about him. Never. Your son is dead, and your daughter killed him."

Ozai started to speak, but Iroh shook his head. "And I am here to tell you that I would have told you what I wish someone would have told me, even though the world knows you do not deserve it. But comforting words won't do anything for you because you never loved him, and I am sure you are nothing short of pleased that the boy you labeled an embarrassment can embarrass you no more. And so I am sorry. I am sorry that you are such a cruel, heartless man who has never known and will never know love. I am sorry that you will die here, bitter and alone and despising everything around you even though you only have yourself to blame."

"Are you finished?" Ozai questioned, leaning back on his elbows. "Besides, you should be happier. You've gotten the throne back from me."

"You think I wanted this?" Iroh demanded. "It was a relief, a _relief_ when I heard our father's dying wish. I could use my time to grieve the loss of my son, to recover from my defeat at Ba Sing Se, to discover who I was. But I know who I am. And now I know who you are. You are a cruel, sadistic shell of a man, and I feel sorry for you."

"You're more of a fool than I thought, then," Ozai replied.

"And yet I am the one left with my freedom," Iroh responded and turned to leave, willing to never speak to the man he had been raised alongside ever again, to leave him alone in his misery for the rest of his life.

"What of Azula?" he heard his brother ask, and he hesitated to turn back. His brother deserved to spend the rest of his life not knowing what had happened to his daughter, but Iroh would grant him that one kindness. He would not stoop to his brother's level of deception and mind games.

"An insane asylum," he responded without turning to face Ozai. "Where she will live the rest of her life unable to harm herself or others."

* * *

He took his lunch in his chambers, eating his favorite roast duck and drinking his favorite tea, contemplating the tasks that lay before him. It would take months, if not years, to figure out who was next in the line of succession after Zuko. Though the royal family had always been small, it seemed long-lost cousins were always popping up out of nowhere, and he was certain that would increase tenfold when the news of Zuko's death reached the ends of the world.

In the meantime, he needed to figure out what to do to clean up his family's mess.

"Sir," one of the royal guards stepped into the room. Iroh smiled slightly. Ozai would have severely punished anyone who dared interrupt him. Iroh had insisted that the guards enter if he was needed. "The Avatar is here to see you."

"Send him in," Iroh gestured and watched as the guard stepped to the side, allowing the Avatar to enter. "Welcome, Avatar Aang," he nodded and motioned to the seat across from himself.

"Thanks," the boy smiled slightly and sat down, taking the tea that Iroh immediately offered him. "You look… Well."

"Thank you," Iroh replied. "You as well. Now drink. Tea is god for the soul." He let a comfortable silence fill the room before asking, "What brings you here?"

"We need to talk about the Earth Kingdom colonies," Aang replied, and Iroh nodded thoughtfully. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the issue came up, he just wished he would have had more time to figure things out.

"I am sure the Earth King wants our colonies gone immediately," Iroh replied and sipped his tea. "But, as I am sure you are aware, it is not as easy as commanding the Fire Nation citizens to pack up and leave. They have been there for the better part of a century. Generations of families with Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation blood are living there. You can ask me to break apart families, but I will not do it."

"I didn't even think of that," the Avatar admitted, his face falling.

"That is because you are young," Iroh replied. "You haven't lived through this war as long as I have." He was silent for another moment. "Contact the Earth King. I will meet with him and we will discuss solutions."

"Really?" the boy's face lit up, and Iroh could not help but smile, even if his smile was small. It was good to see the hope in the boy's face, hope that the world could be returned to something resembling a state of peace. Iroh nodded and set his cup down, pushing it to the side.

"We have a rough road ahead of us, young Avatar," Iroh said. "But I am confident everything will work out in the end. The world favors balance, after all."

"Right," Aang nodded and stood. "Thank you for the tea. I should be leaving, though. Especially if I need to get an audience with the Earth King…"

"Do not rush things," Iroh said. "Enjoy the time spent traveling now that our armies are not trying to kill or capture you." He sighed and stood to escort the boy back out. "You will have plenty of time to be stressed and miserable when you are as old as I am."

"Thank you," Aang took a deep breath before stepping out of the room, leaving Iroh to his thoughts and challenges once more.

Iroh sat back down, poured another cup of tea, and stared into it, wishing he could share the same sense of hope and optimism that the Avatar radiated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

Katara hadn't slept since finding out about her condition. Each time she closed her eyes, she was met with images of him, memories of their time together, and worse yet, her worries about what would happen next. She needed to tell Aang, she knew that, but he was so busy worrying about how to piece the world back together that she hadn't gotten a moment to speak with him.

She sighed when Sokka stepped into the tent. Zuko's uncle had offered to let her stay in the palace, even not knowing her condition, but she had declined, preferring to be in the company of her family, preferring to be away from anything that would remind her of him. "If you're going to yell at me, just get it over with," she said, not able to look her brother in the eye.

"I'm not going to yell at you," he sighed and sat beside her. She leaned into his side, never wanting to leave it again. Sokka had always been a comfort to her, ever since they were young children. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her. "Besides, I don't have any room to talk. Suki's only a year older than you."

"Yeah, but Suki isn't pregnant," she groand and shut her eyes. "She's not, right?"

"No, of course not," Sokka assured and held her. "You promise no one hurt you? That he didn't hurt you?"

"He wouldn't do that," she defended, looking up at her brother.

"I'm just saying," Sokka held his hands up. "He chased us around the world and tried to kill us a few times. It's a fair question."

"He didn't hurt me," she said firmly and shut her eyes once more. "How mad is Dad?"

"More mad at him than you," Sokka answered. "But, I mean, he can't do anything. So I guess that's one good thing out of all of this."

"He might actually have killed him," Katara smiled slightly.

"I don't think there's a 'might' in that scenario," Sokka laughed and kissed the top of her head. "And at least now we don't have to worry about who's going to become Firelord, right?"

Katara frowned, then groaned. In all her thoughts and worries, the fact that she was carrying the crown prince of the Fire Nation's child hadn't quite set in. She was not responsible only for a fatherless child, but for the hope of an entire nation. "What am I going to do, Sokka?"

"You need to tell Aang," he answered. "He'll know what to do."

She nodded and took a shaky breath. Telling Aang would upset him, she had no doubt about that. She knew he loved her, but she had never quite felt the same way. She had taken care of Aang while they traveled the world, had taught him waterbending. He knew more about her than almost anyone, but she had never seen him in a romantic light, not like she had seen Zuko.

"Get some sleep, Katara," Sokka said. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

She nodded and lay down, closing her eyes. And she had her first decent night's sleep in weeks.

She woke early the next morning and rolled her eyes when she saw Sokka, still sound asleep and snoring loudly. "Brothers," she muttered under her breath before leaving the tent.

"Katara," Hakoda approached her, and she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. As much as she needed to talk to her father, she needed to find Aang, especially before he left to speak with the Earth King.

"Dad," she nodded. "Have you seen Aang?"

She watched as his face fell, and hated herself for avoiding him for the past several days. "Having breakfast with the King of Omashu." She started to leave, but he gently grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk about this, Katara."

"I know, Dad," she replied. "But I really need to talk to Aang right now." She heard him sigh in disappointment, but felt him let go of her wrist. "I'm sorry," she turned to face him. "I promise we'll talk after I talk to him."

"Be safe," he sighed, and she left him.

She saw Aang and Bumi eating together, and leaned against a nearby tree, smiling at how easily the two were still able to communicate with each other, to laugh and joke even though so many terrible things had happened. "I believe your friend has come to see you," she heard Bumi say, and watched as Aang turned to face her, his ever-present smile on his face.

"Katara!" he exclaimed and stood.

"Is this a good time?" she asked, hugging herself. Aang turned to face Bumi, who nodded and smiled, before turning back to face her. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Aang replied and walked away from the others with her. "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something," she replied, staring straight ahead instead of facing him. "Something kind of important. After Zuko and I confronted Yon Rha, something happened…" she trailed off, unsure of how to continue, unsure of how to be gentle about it.

She glanced at Aang, who was oddly silent, who did not pressure her to continue. "I need to tell you something too," he admitted and turned to face her. "I was kind of listening outside your tent, after you were sick…"

"Oh," her face fell, and she took a shaky breath.

"I'm really sorry," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and…"

"It's fine, Aang," she cut him off. She started to speak again, but Aang cut her off.

"You don't owe me an explanation," he assured. "But we do need to meet with General Iroh. He agreed to rule until we found someone to take over, but this changes things. We don't' need to look anymore."

She nodded and sat on the ground, pulling a knee to her chest. "I just want to go home. For all of this to be over."

"I know," he sighed and sat next to her. "Me too."

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly, knowing that her struggle was nothing compared to the enormous tasks he had in front of him. "It's okay," she said. "We're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."


End file.
